1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates systems and methods used to provide Internet telephony services.
2. Description of the Related Art
Telephone answering devices and a variety of voice mail messaging systems are well known. Such devices and systems allow callers to leave messages for intended called parties when the called parties are not available, able, or desirous to receive calls. Each such device and system allows a party to later access the same to receive or re-route previously recorded messages from calling parties. In fact, such automated call answering devices and systems have become so commonplace, that many people now consider them to be staple technologies of everyday life. For example, it is quite common for a person to have more than one automated call answering system to receive a variety of incoming calls. A home telephone answering machine, a voice mailbox associated with a work telephone number, and a voice mailbox associated with a cellular or other telephone number are typical messaging systems used within modern society. Additionally, while automated call answering devices and systems are widely deployed by telephone service subscribers, calling parties also have come to expect that the people they call will maintain some sort of automated call answering or messaging device or system so that the calling party can leave important information without having to speak to a live operator who may erroneously record a particular message.
With the recent acceptance and widespread use of the Internet, many companies have begun to operate Internet-based telephony systems and services. As such systems and services are very new, they are not yet as rich in features as conventional telephony systems. In particular, although Internet telephony systems allow calling parties to access a telephony site via the world wide web (WWW), request completion of an Internet call to another Internet user, and carry on an Internet-based voice communication session when the other Internet user is online, such systems do not offer features and services such as automated call answering and messaging.
In the case of the typical Internet telephony service, a calling party (i.e., a Internet user) accesses an Internet telephony web site, registers with that site, and peruses an online directory of potential called parties (i.e., other Internet users) that happen to be currently registered and connected to the web site. The calling party can only make calls (communicated via the Internet) to called parties that are actually online and ready, willing, an able to receive calls. There is no way for the calling party to leave a voicemail or other type of message (video message, etc.) for a particular called party if that called party happens to not be connected to the internet telephony web site. As such, calling parties are forced to play a hit or miss game in terms of actually contacting intended called parties online via an Internet telephony service.
Accordingly, there exists a need to provide systems and methods that will allow Internet calling parties to leave recorded messages (e.g., voicemail type messages, videophone messages, etc.) for particular intended called parties who may not be available, able, or desirous to receive calls online. To be viable, such systems and methods must seamlessly work with existing Internet telephony systems to allow Internet calling parties to leave voicemail and, possibly, other types of messages for intended called parties who may later receive the same via the Internet or otherwise (e.g., via a conventional telephony link). Moreover, such systems and methods must allow calling and called parties to realize levels of functionality that they have heretofore come to expect from automated call answering and messaging systems.